Might former DU star Matt Carle return to Denver?

Matt Carle takes to the ice during a Denver Pioneers practice on September 27, 2005.

The Avalanche has a blue-line load of defensive-minded defensemen under contract and could use a savvy, puck-moving D-man like Flyers unrestricted free agent Matt Carle, who is now probably the top defenseman of his kind in the free-agent market after Ryan Suter signed this morning with the Wild. Question is, would Carle have interest in Colorado?

Of course. The University of Denver’s first and only Hobey Baker Award winner lived in Denver three years, serving as perhaps the best overall defenseman DU has seen since the late Keith Magnuson, and I know the Anchorage native loves living in Colorado. He’s an outdoors-type dude with many, many friends in the area. So, yes, Colorado is probably on his radar. He has homes in Minnesota and Anchorage.

The bigger question is, do the Avs want to shake things up to sign him? Signing Carle — who made $3.8 million last season — would mean the club would have to trade at least one of its veteran D-men on one-way contracts: Ryan O’Bryne, Jan Hejda, Shane O’Brien, Ryan Wilson, Greg Zanon, Matt Hunwick, and, yes, perhaps even Erik Johnson. Carle, 27, undoubtedly will command a salary of at least $4.5 million, more than any of the above, but the money would even out if the Avs traded two veteran D and gave Stefan Elliott or Tyson Barrie a chance to make the team out of training camp. Elliott and Barrie play a similar style as Carle, with the latter having much more experience.

Just speculation, at this point. I do have Matt Carle’s cell number (when he was at DU) but have thus far struck out in trying to contact him. Last thing is, Philly has seven D-men under contract for 2012-13, including six that are making $3.5-million or more, so the chances Carle is going to sign elsewhere appear good.